Shooting Star
by Lady Lynnaya
Summary: A girl escapes from an abusive house and ends up in the Ronin Mansion. Lemon, Ryo x OC, R&R please, llama's making lemon bars


A/n- Heheh. I'm back. This time, I'm trying a lemon. Ronin warriors, Ryo x Oc. A bit of angst in the beginning, but nothing too bad. Read and review, flames are welcome. The llama has blueberry pancakes for all.

The Shooting Star

Looking out on the glistening lake, she sat at the end of the pier. Removing her shoes, she let her bare feet dangle in the cool water. Sighing, she pushed her long curly red hair out of her pale gray eyes and raised her gaze to the shimmering stars over her head. She wore a cream-colored skirt that went halfway down her shins, and a burgundy tank top that accented the tan of her skin and the color of her eyes_. "You've done it again, girl,"_ she scolded herself mentally, _"Another perfectly good chance, ruined. Just because you can't string together a simple sentence when you're alone with him. Very smooth."_ She sighed, kicking her feet so the water splashed. She looked to the sky. It was the new moon, and here in the boonies the sky was clear and the stars were bright. A flash of movement caught her eye. As she made a wish on the falling star, her mind drifted back to when she first came here…here to Mia's mansion.

She had run away from an abusive home, away from her father and brothers. Her mother had died long ago and her sisters had already wisely run away to seek a better life elsewhere. However, for her it wasn't as pertinent for her to leave. She had always been very good at hiding from her brothers and father. Better than her two older sisters, anyway. She was a little bit of a thing, only 5'4" and barely over 100 lbs., even though she was almost 18. Her father and three older brothers drank constantly. The house forever smelled of alcohol and there were bottles littering the floor. Most of the time, she hid in the attic. The men, as she thought of them, were too fat from sitting around and drinking to fit through the crawl space that was the only entrance to the attic, if you could call it that. It was more a way for people to get to the wires and plumbing that supplied the second floor. Here, she was safe. She could dream here without fear of having one of her brothers trying to cop a feel while her guard was down. She could sleep up here without having to brace a chair under her bedroom doorknob so her father couldn't come in during the night and beat her. But eventually, she got tired of having to hide. One night, she left.

She had left in the middle of the night, when the men where all asleep. It was raining that night, so the sound of the drops hitting the roof covered the sound of her footsteps along the hall, down the stairs, and out the door. She had hit the sidewalk running, and she ran for all she was worth. She ran down roads she knew from her few friends led into the country. She eventually slowed to a walk, and followed the road to a soggy gravel driveway. She went down the driveway, not giving a damn that she was most likely trespassing on someone's property. She walked along the driveway until she came to the huge mansion. By that time, it was close to dawn. She had never seen such a huge house in her life! Gaping, she walked along to the back of the house, looking everywhere for a sign of current inhabitants anywhere. The gardens were well tended, but in need of weeding. There was a single car next to the garage, which was closed. From the looks of things, either the inhabitants were lazy about outdoor maintenance or they were on vacation. She hoped it was the latter. After going all the way around the house, she had seen no sign of movement from within. She went to the back of the house, and tried the door going into the kitchen. To her great surprise and relief, the door opened without a sound, and she crept silently inside, leaving her shoes on the porch so she wouldn't get mud inside. She looked through the cabinets and fridge for food, eventually making herself some waffles. While waiting for her waffles to pop out of the toaster, she let herself get lost in her thoughts. So lost in her thoughts was she, that she didn't hear the footsteps coming down the stairs just down the hall. She didn't find her way back into reality until she heard someone yell "Thief!" She looked up like a deer that had just found itself staring into the headlights of a car. And just as quick as a deer, she had grabbed the bag holding her few clothes and run back out the door, forgetting the waffles. She ran down a path among some trees, praying it wouldn't lead her to a dead end. Behind her, she could hear shouts and running footsteps. Her bare feet were soon soaking wet and covered from toe to heel in thick mud that went up to her dainty ankles. She plunged through puddles, soaking her legs to her knees. The branches of trees growing alongside the path were scratching her face and arms, and her feet were faring far worse. Her breath came in ragged gasps, but she didn't stop running as she could hear her pursuers hot on her trail. Her feet throbbed, but she ignored them. She didn't want to be caught. She couldn't be caught. She couldn't be forced back into that hellhole where she was beaten and yelled at and pawed. No one could make her go back. No one. She would kill herself first. And just as that thought ran through her head, she found herself standing on a small beach, and before she could stop herself or change direction, she was on the pier hanging over the lake. Her pursuers followed her out onto the pier, and fearing capture, she ran until she was almost on the edge of the pier. She turned to face the ones chasing her for the first time, finding herself face-to-face with eight men, all of them lean and strong looking, even though they were all in pajamas. None of them were panting, and as far as she could tell, none of them had even broken a sweat. And none of them looked very happy. One of them walked towards her, his face set in an angry scowl and his midnight black hair drifting on the gentle breeze.

"Hand over the bag, thief," he growled, holding his hand out in a demanding gesture.

"I'm not a thief," she had replied, hugging her bag closer to her chest and sliding back a bit further on the pier, "Everything in this bag is rightfully mine. I've never stolen anything in my life."

"Then what were you doing in the house?' asked another, his long white hair a contrast to the black eye-patch covering his left eye socket.

"I was looking for food," she replied. The night was cold, and she was already chilled from being in the rain earlier. She was shivering, and her voice trembled as she spoke. A red-haired woman in a pink bathrobe appeared behind the men, and pushed her way through them to whisper in the ear of the dark-haired one that still glared at her with fierce blue eyes. She couldn't hear the words she spoke, but from the look of surprise on the young man's face, she guessed that the woman had told him about the waffles she had left in the toaster. Behind the two, she could hear one of the other men saying something under his breath in a British accent.

"Look at the poor thing. Her lips are turning blue!"

Another replied in a gravely voice, "I don't know what Mia is telling Ryo, but whatever it is, I hope it means that girl didn't take anything. She looks so pathetic I couldn't do so much as raise my voice to her."

Another shushed them, and there was silence. The dark-haired man, whom she assumed was Ryo, looked at her, his expression softer and friendlier.

"It's okay. We know you're not a thief. Come with us. We'll get you warmed up and fed and you'll have nothing to worry about. And as soon as you're done eating, we'll take you home."

That was it. "NOOO!" she screamed. She shook her head wildly, edging closer and closer to the end of the pier. "NONONONONONONO!"

"Look, lady, all we're going to do is take you home!" He tried to reach out to her, but she only back away from him.

"I'm never going back! None of you can make me go back to that hell!"

"Look out!" shouted the woman, but it was too late. The young woman fell off the edge of the pier, into the cold water of the lake. Still clutching the bag holding her clothes, she fought to get back to the surface. Her lungs were burning for air, but she was too weak from the long walk to reach the surface. Her mind and body were going numb, and she was dimly aware of a strong arm wrapping itself around her and pulling her upward. She tried to focus on her rescuer, but instead slipped into unconsciousness.

When she awoke, she was laying in a large bed. Looking around, she saw a full-length mirror on one wall, and next to it was a large dresser, the top of which was littered with various trinkets, and by the door was a bureau with a smaller mirror over it and bottles of perfume and lotion on top of it. The curtains were white sheers with lace along the edges, and they matched the canopy that hung over the bed. Obviously, this room belonged to a woman. Looking down at herself, she found herself to be wearing a pale yellow terry cloth bathrobe. She got out of the bed and looked at herself in the mirror. Her long hair had been braided, and the scratches on her face had been cleaned and the worst ones bandaged. She was rolling up the sleeves of the robe to check her arms when a soft knock brought her attention to the door. The young woman from the pier entered holding a tray.

"Here," she said, "I believe you wanted these." And on the tray was a plate with the waffles she had made, drowning in maple syrup. "My name is Mia. What's yours?" she asked.

"I am Sonlia," she replied, as she accepted the waffles with a shy smile.

Her mind slowly returned to where she was, and she kicked her feet again in the lake where she had first met her love. After Mia had welcomed her, she came to know all of the guys. Before Sonlia had come, Mia had been the only girl among the eight guys. Sonlia told them exactly why she had left her home and how she came to the mansion. She left nothing out, except her former address, because by the time she was done explaining, the guys were all ready to go slaughter her father and brothers. She learned that three of the eight of them were former Warlords of the evil force that had attacked the city several years ago. The other five were the Ronin Warriors who had fought it. She learned their names, she learned their favorite things. That the white-haired one was Dais, and he often made baskets out of wire in his spare time. She learned that the dark-haired one was indeed Ryo, and he liked hiking and all things of nature. And that he was the one who had jumped into the lake to save her. She had been there for three months now, and it had taken less than a third of that time for her to fall in love with Ryo. But she was shy, and even when she had the perfect chance to tell him, she faltered. And invariably, she always came to the pier afterward. There, she would either cry or just sit there seething at herself for being so cowardly. The others had quickly caught on to her feelings, and they soon began trying to get the two of them together. Time after time, she found herself being tripped by any one of the guys, only to be caught by Ryo's arms. Time and time again, she went into a room full of people, to moments later find it empty of all but Ryo and herself. But to her frustration, she was never able to take advantage of the openings that the others so generously gave her.

She sighed, and was about to get up and go back to the house when she heard someone coming up behind her.

"_Please don't let it be Ryo, please don't let it be Ryo…_" she thought to herself.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Ryo as he came to stand next to her.

"Not at all," she lied, trying to get her heart under control. "_He's just here to think and look at the view, that's all. Don't worry, Sonlia, he's not here for conversation_."

Ryo took off his shoes and sat down next to her, letting his feet dangle in the water like hers. His hand was only a couple inches from hers. She prayed that he wouldn't try to strike up a conversation. If one of the other guys or Mia were around, Sonlia could handle it, but when she was alone with him, her mouth went dry and she couldn't think of a single coherent thing to say.

"Man, it's a zoo in there. Kento has managed to piss Dais off again. The two of them are currently beating the crap out of each other," he said, his hand sliding slowly closer to hers. This made Sonlia laugh. Just as they had always been, Dais and Kento were total opposites and it didn't take much to put them on the warpath. Ryo sighed, enjoying the quiet of the lake. "It's been a while since I've looked at the stars. It always amazes me how bright they are here in the country. They're so beautiful."

Fortunately, this topic didn't require much thought. "Yes, they are. I've always liked looking at them," she replied, thanking those same stars for the simplicity of the conversation.

"I can only think of one thing more beautiful than they are. Can you?"

Again, an easy topic. "Sunsets," she answered, "especially when they reflect on water."

"Yeah. I've always liked sunsets, though I like sunrises more."

"Why?"

Ryo sighed, and ran a callused hand through his hair. "Back in the Dynasty days, none of us were sure how long it would last. We could die that day, killed in battle. We could be ambushed at night, killed in our sleep…and every sunrise was a sign we had lived another day."

"I always hated sunrises. It meant another day I had to go through…well, you know what I had to go through." Ryo nodded, and his hands instinctively curled into fists, but Sonlia didn't notice. "Sunsets meant the day was over. I had survived."

"It shouldn't have been like that."

"Did I say it should've? But it was."

"Have you noticed the stuff that the guys have been doing? You know, like tripping you and stuff?"

"What are you talking about?" she said innocently, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

He sighed and ran his sword-callused hand through his hair again. "I don't know if you've noticed, but the guys have been trying to set the two of us up for a while."

She sat up and stared at him. So he had noticed too. Perhaps…

"Yeah, I noticed. It was kinda hard to miss. Why do you ask?" she asked him.

A blush stained his cheeks, and for a minute he struggled to find the right words. He would start to say something, then change his mind. Finally, he sighed and began to speak. "From the moment I pulled you dripping out of the lake, I've been in love with you." Sonlia could barely believe her ears. His eyes closed as he tried to think of how to continue. Taking hold of her hand, and just cradling it in his own hand, he spoke.

"When I realized I loved you, I couldn't bring myself to tell you. Whenever we were alone, you were so anxious and shy. I thought it was because of what you had gone through. You had gone through hell and back, and the last thing I wanted to do was remind you of all that." He squeezed her hand gently, still angry about what she had been forced to go through, but he quickly suppressed his wrath and continued speaking. "But slowly, I got hopeful. 'What if she likes me too' I thought. 'What if she feels the same way I do and just can't say it.'" He pulled her into his arms, so close to his body she could smell the lingering scent of his soap from the shower he had taken that morning. "I don't know, Sonlia. I've never been around women much. I don't want to rush you, but I want to know how you feel for me. If it's nothing more than friendship, I'll respect that. You don't have to tell me now, or at all, if you don't want to talk about it…" Having run out of things to say, Ryo stood up and went to go inside. "Anyway, I'd better go see how Dais and Kento are doing. If it's anything like the last fight, they'll need me to help put the living room back together. Are you coming back inside right now?" Sonlia shook her head, shocked from his admission. "Alright then. But you're going to get cold out here…take this." She felt something being draped across her shoulders, and when she looked at it, she saw it was Ryo's jacket. When she heard Ryo's footsteps had faded into the distance, she cuddled into the jacket, enjoying the warmth and smell of him that lingered in it.

About two weeks later, she was there on the pier again. Ever since his confession, Ryo had been really shy around her. She, on the other hand, seemed to have bloomed like a rosebud. She was half as shy, and twice as talkative, especially in Ryo's company. The other guys had figured something had happened on the pier, so they didn't pull any of their usual stunts, which made Sonlia happy, but she missed the pleasant joy of being caught by Ryo. But she hadn't had a chance to talk to him. On of the stunts the guys pulled the most was to leave the room so that she and Ryo could be alone. Not anymore. They barely got a moment to themselves in that house, much less to each other. Sonlia kicked the water in frustration, when she heard a splash off to her left. There was Ryo, his hair being tossed in the wind, trying to skip stones across the surface of the lake. She called out to him, and he joined her on the pier, sitting next to her barefoot as he had last time. This time, he was wearing a thin t-shirt and a pair of tight jeans, and she was wearing khaki shorts and a yellow peasant top. For a moment they just sat there together, gazing across the lake, until Ryo cleared his throat and started to speak.

"So, have you thought about what I said?" Sonlia nodded. Ryo sounded calm, but Sonlia could feel the nervousness coming off him in waves. "Have you figured it out?" She nodded again, then shivered. The weather was getting warmer now, but there was still a chill in the breeze by the lake at night. Ryo pulled her into his lap, and held her close to keep her warm, turning her body perpendicular to his, but turning her face to look at his. "So, what is it?"

And they sat like that for a minute, her in his lap, and him staring into her eyes, hopefully searching for any signal that she shared his feelings. And just when the hopeful light that had been shining in his eyes began to fade, she kissed him. It was a short quick kiss, but it was enough to have Ryo blushing when she pulled back.

"I love you too, Ryo Sanada."

The effect those simple words had on him was amazing. All of his nerves disappeared, and a wide grin spread across his face right before he pulled her into a long, passionate kiss. Sonlia threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him back with such passion and enthusiasm it took him by surprise. His tongue stroked her lips, and she parted her lips to give him entrance. His tongue, hesitant at first, began exploring the interior of her mouth. Her tongue parried his, and they battled for dominance before they broke the kiss due to the sheer need of air.

They held each other for a moment, until Sonlia made up her mind. Ryo still sat with his feet still dangling of the pier, and in the blink of an eye she was straddling him with her legs wrapped around his waist. She began kissing him again, and as she did she ground her hips against his. It didn't take Ryo long to get the message. His hands slid down her back, then up again after he grabbed the hem of her shirt. And at the same time, they peeled each other's shirts off and threw them over Ryo's head to land somewhere down the pier. In a feat of impressive flexibility, Sonlia laid back, bringing her knees to her chin, and slid out of the khaki shorts, taking her underwear with them. Ryo fumbled with the latch of her bra before she, smiling, took pity on him and removed it herself. Now naked, she sat smiling in his lap, and never taking her eyes off of his face, she unzipped his pants. He smiled sheepishly as he positioned himself under her, then his expression held nothing but ecstasy and passion as he slowly slid into her. She moaned softly, arching her back and letting her head fall back, her hands holding firmly onto his large, muscular shoulders. Once buried fully within her, he began moving in a slow rhythm, lying back on the pier, his feet still in the water. Sonlia leaned forward with him, planting her hands on either side of his head. Reaching up, one of his hands played with her hair, which hung around them like a curtain of fire, and the other played with a small, firm breast. Grinning with passion and ecstasy, she began moving her hips in time to his thrusts. Their pace quickened as they approached their climax, their bodies moving like lightning and their breath coming in frantic gasps. Then, Sonlia hit her peak. With a cry of triumph, she threw her head back as Ryo arched his back, pushing himself as deep into her as he could.

They both fell to earth then, slowly coming off the peak of love. Sonlia collapsed onto Ryo's chest and he gently pulled himself out of her. He held her close as she snuggled to his side and looked up at the stars.

"_Thank you_," she thought, speaking mentally to the stars, "_for granting my wish_." And they fell asleep, cuddled in each other's arms, underneath a blanket of stars.

A/n- yeah, okay. ; There be my first try at a lemon. All reviews are welcome, and all reviews get blueberry pancakes.


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